Free Community College?

In President Obama’s state of the union address, he said, “… I am sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college — to zero.”  I am a big believer in community college.  In community college, savvy students save substantial sums on their journey to an advanced degree.  Older adults can build second and third careers, and high school goof-offs can get a fresh start.  (My husband rocked all three categories.)

So free community college is a great idea, right?  According to President Obama, “too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need.  It’s not fair to them, and it’s not smart for our future.”  Who could argue with that?

… Well, me.  Precisely because I believe in community college, I do not believe the cost should be – or could be – “zero.”

1.  Free Community College Is Unnecessary.  Community college tuition is already affordable.  It is easy to find a community college within commuting distance, so you can continue to live at home.  And, if your funds fall short, you can apply for financial aid, student loans and merit scholarships.  With all of the help available, it is hard to imagine any “bright, striving American” actually priced out of community college. 

Some time ago I oversaw a scholarship fund specifically for community college students.  The scholarship had few requirements, and yet we only found one interested student.  Finding money for community college is so simple that the scholarship was almost superfluous.

2.  Free Community College Is Not “Free” (in the Sense of Money).  Someone still has to pay for community college, even if it is “free” for students.  There are only three possibilities for the federal government to finance community college: (1) higher taxes; (2) cutbacks in other areas; or (3) more deficit spending.  None of those are very appealing.

3.  Free Community College Is Not “Free” (in the Sense of Our Liberties).  There is an English proverb along the lines of “He who takes the king's shilling becomes the king's man.”  Grants from the federal government to the states always come with strings attached.  If the federal government pays for community college, you can bet they will regulate who teaches, what is taught, and perhaps even who can enroll.  Common Core for College, anyone?  State and local governments will have less power to tailor their institutions to the needs of the specific community.

4.  Free Community College Is Not Efficient.  When the government pays for something, it takes away free market incentives toward efficiency.  If a student (or her parent) pays for college, they will seek the best value for their dollar.  Colleges know that if they do not provide the best value, the student (or her parent) will take their dollars elsewhere.   This fast and simple feedback between business and consumer drives up quality and efficiency.  Government money breaks this direct line of communication.  Community college would no longer be accountable to the student (or her parent).   An impersonal bureaucracy would make the decisions, motivated by political objectives opaque to the actual students and educators.

To Be Continued...